Sokoban Manual: Difference between revisions

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This manual will describe the gameplay rules of Sokoban/World. The basic premise is very easy to grasp. In each level there are an equal number of blocks and targets. Your goal is to push(but not pull) blocks onto all of them. It does not matter what blocks go onto the targets, but mostly position will dictate what must go where. I sounds like an easy enough task, but you will almost certainly find yourself stumped(repeatedly) as you figure out how to solve each level. If you have really tried and are on the brink of frustration, I recommend you use the solve feature. This is available in the game menu and will playback a demo(spoiler!) that shows you one way to solve the level. Usually there will be an "Aha!" moment you were looking for that is revealed. At least you will see how the position is solved, but don't ruin all the challenge :) Now let's cover the basic concepts that will let you quickly check if a move will land you in trouble down the road. Usually you will want to apply these logic checks first, to quickly weed out bad paths.
This manual will describe the gameplay rules of Sokoban/World. The basic premise is very easy to grasp. In each level there are an equal number of blocks and targets. Your goal is to push, but not pull, blocks onto all of them. It does not matter what blocks go onto the targets, but often position will dictate what must go where. I sounds like an easy enough task, but you will almost certainly find yourself stumped(repeatedly) as you figure out how to solve each of the harder levels. If you have really tried and are on the brink of frustration, I recommend you use the solve feature. This is available in the game menu and will playback a demo(spoiler!) that shows you one way to solve the level. Usually there will be an "Aha!" moment you were looking for that is revealed. At least you will see how the position is solved, but don't ruin all the challenge :) Now let's cover the basic concepts that will let you quickly check if a move will land you in trouble down the road. Usually you will want to apply these logic checks first, to quickly weed out bad paths.




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==Order Of Operations==
==Order Of Operations==


When you have thought your position through, hopefully you have a pretty good idea of what blocks need to end up where. Usually that will only be half the battle however. If you keep trying small variations and repeatedly end up close to solving, you probably just need to investigate which order to make your moves. This is pretty tough to explain or make a diagram for. Your experience will grow as you play and you will be able identify these situations.
When you have thought your position through, hopefully you have a pretty good idea of what blocks need to end up where. Usually that will only be half the battle however. If you keep trying small variations and repeatedly end up close to solving, you probably just need to investigate which order to make your moves. This is pretty tough to explain or make a diagram for. Your experience will grow as you play and you will be able identify these situations.




==Game Controls==
==Game Controls==


*D-Pad  - Move character
*D-Pad  - Move character
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SokEd is the built in editor for sokoban maps. When it is done it will create maps usable in any other version and allow you to save them to eeprom. The controls are described in the help section from the main menu. Here are some helpful tips.
SokEd has been removed from the latest release of Sokoban World, mostly because it was just a novelty. If I ever decide to re-implement this, it will be an improved version in the form of a separate text. At that point I'd have to re-implement the level loading for custom levels, change the save structure to use more blocks,...in short don't hold your breath on this.
 
*To fill large areas with the same tile, hold down the button and move the cursor to cover the area. Great for making your walls and floors.
 
*Press start to bring up the in editor menu. Saving and loading of maps can be done from here.
 
*If you want to blank out the map entirely, select new from the menu.
 
*The last tile you can select is the player tile, which represents where the player will start. If you already defined a starting position, that position will change to floor.




Revision as of 01:56, 29 March 2010

Sokoban Manual

This manual will describe the gameplay rules of Sokoban/World. The basic premise is very easy to grasp. In each level there are an equal number of blocks and targets. Your goal is to push, but not pull, blocks onto all of them. It does not matter what blocks go onto the targets, but often position will dictate what must go where. I sounds like an easy enough task, but you will almost certainly find yourself stumped(repeatedly) as you figure out how to solve each of the harder levels. If you have really tried and are on the brink of frustration, I recommend you use the solve feature. This is available in the game menu and will playback a demo(spoiler!) that shows you one way to solve the level. Usually there will be an "Aha!" moment you were looking for that is revealed. At least you will see how the position is solved, but don't ruin all the challenge :) Now let's cover the basic concepts that will let you quickly check if a move will land you in trouble down the road. Usually you will want to apply these logic checks first, to quickly weed out bad paths.


Trapped Blocks

Sokoblocktrapped.png

When you push a block so that it touches a wall, it becomes tethered to it. Basically, it's dimensions of movements have been cut in half(think about it). It is possible to break the block free, but only if you can push it into a position where it becomes open to another dimension of movement. A tethered block does not necessarily spell defeat. If there is no way to free it, and its range of movement does not allow it to move onto a target, well...you're screwed unfortunately. Pushing a block into a corner always results in this. You'll want to remember this so you don't end up in that situation again. Use the retry option in the game menu.


Trap Doors

Sokotrapdoor.png

Trap doors are quite common, although their situations can be very different. Essentially it's any area that you must move a block into, but can't move the block back out the same direction(without trapping it). Before you even enter make sure you have to do it. If you are sure, you will need to be thinking ahead of how you will be able to loop back around the level. These situations can become extremely complex, especially when multiple orders of operation would be possible. For sokoban solving programs, small numbers of trap doors can cause it to be unsolvable even on a high end machine. Think high level.


Order Of Operations

When you have thought your position through, hopefully you have a pretty good idea of what blocks need to end up where. Usually that will only be half the battle however. If you keep trying small variations and repeatedly end up close to solving, you probably just need to investigate which order to make your moves. This is pretty tough to explain or make a diagram for. Your experience will grow as you play and you will be able identify these situations.


Game Controls

  • D-Pad - Move character
  • Start - Restart Level
  • X - Toggle double speed movement
  • L/R - Undo/Redo


SokEd

SokEd has been removed from the latest release of Sokoban World, mostly because it was just a novelty. If I ever decide to re-implement this, it will be an improved version in the form of a separate text. At that point I'd have to re-implement the level loading for custom levels, change the save structure to use more blocks,...in short don't hold your breath on this.


Demos

As previously mentioned, there is a demo solution for each level. The only detail you have to know here is that there is a fast forward feature. By pressing L/R you can decrease and increase the playback speed of the demo: 1x,2x,4x,8x. This is a handy feature on the larger levels having pretty long solutions.

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